


Alternate Saiyans - Gohan in HS

by gayforgohan



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-17 10:51:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9320366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayforgohan/pseuds/gayforgohan
Summary: What if the saiyans looked a bit less human? How will Gohan manage to hide his less-than-normal features in high school? Also he has his tail again and all that good stuff. Originally posted on ffn.





	1. Chapter 1

          The Saiyan race, though bearing a striking anatomical resemblance to humans, had its fair-share of distinctly non-human features. One example of this would be their tailbones, which extended far past the measly few vertebrae of humans to form a long, dextrous tail. These tails allowed the saiyans to transform into their Oozaru form, also known as the Great Ape, which multiplied their power five times over. However, this tail was also a weakness, as simply pulling on it would cause any saiyan short of Super incapacitating pain. Saiyans looking to rid themselves of this weakness would be sorely disappointed, as their tails would grow back without fail, no matter how they’d lost it.

 

          Along with this were many other striking differences, such as their sizable fangs and chimp-like feet. Full-blooded saiyans sported entire bodies covered in the same sort of fur as their tails, with the difference being that this fur didn’t grow in until puberty. Most Saiyans could pass as especially hairy humans.

 

          Gohan Son, the first known human-saiyan hybrid, looked exactly how one would imagine. Tail, monkey-feet, fangs, and all. All he was missing was the luxurious fur coat.

 

          Gohan had never thought much about his appearance or how strange it was. After all, he wasn’t exactly surrounded by normal-looking people. It wasn’t until his first day of high school that he learned he himself didn’t exactly look ‘normal.’

 

          “Gohan, you can’t go to school looking like  _ that! _ ” His mother eyed him with heavy disapproval.

 

          “What? I can’t?” Gohan looked down at his outfit. White button-up and black vest, and orange khakis to match his Orange Star High badge.  _ I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.... _

 

          “Not if you want to seem  _ normal  _ you can’t! Look, your tail is showing!” She pointed for emphasis. “And those  _ fangs…. _ ”

 

          “Are these not normal?”

 

          “Of course not! Tuck your tail into your pants young man! And here,” she reached into a nearby cabinet and grabbed a surgical mask, handing it to her son, “wear this. It covers half of your handsome face, but it’ll have to do.”

 

          “Yes, ma’am.” Gohan was greatly confused as to why he had to hide these seemingly random parts of his body, but he wasn’t about to argue with his mother. She had some sort of strange obsession with normalcy that he’d never fully grasp. First she’d told him to hide his power, now this. How was he supposed to make friends if he was doing nothing but hiding?

 

* * *

 

          Gohan was headed to school on Nimbus. He had his tail wrapped around his waist underneath his pants and the mask his mother had given him secured around the bottom half of his face. He sighed and felt his breath warm the area around his mouth, trapped by the mask. Hiding his tail was one thing, but his teeth? It seemed kind of ridiculous to him. So what if he had fangs, a sixth of the population were animal people!

 

          He looked down to see a billboard welcoming visitors to the prestigious Satan City. He chuckled at the sight. A huge picture of none other than one Mr. Hercule Satan.  _ Wow, they named the whole city after him! Oh, I can’t wait to tell everyone about this! _ Despite Mr. Satan having taken credit for defeating Cell, Gohan couldn’t help but like the guy. He was just so….. _ goofy. _ He couldn’t be mad at him, especially not for something as silly as fame. Gohan was a complete nobody in the eyes of the public and he liked it like that.

 

          The sound of gunshots and the subsequent civilian screams snapped Gohan out of his musings. He whipped his head to face the source and found a bank.  _ Robbers. Great. Do these crooks ever learn? _ He was about ready to just jump down there and take them out when he realized he was supposed to be blending in and being ‘normal.’ Thinking quickly, he transformed into a Super Saiyan, taking the mask off his face beforehand and shoving it in his bag so as not to accidentally shred it. Despite his lack of fur in his base form, his super Saiyan Form was covered with it. He hoped he wouldn’t be too recognizable in this form.

 

          Gohan jumped off Nimbus and let himself freefall in front of the two criminals guarding the bank, his golden tail slipping out of his pants and swishing around, not content in staying still with all the energy coursing through it. He glanced at his watch as one of them was giving some sort of ‘you better get outta here before you get hurt’ speech and nearly yelped as he realized the time. 7:53. He had 7 minutes to get to school and he had no idea where it was. He didn’t have time for this. He knocked the crooks out cold with soft, strategic chops to their necks. He sighed for the second time that morning and sped into the bank itself.

 

          He quickly scanned the room and found three guys. One emptying the vault, one standing around looking boss-like, and one aiming some sort of semi-automatic rifle at the hostages.  _ Hostages.  _ **_Great._ ** _ Can’t these jerks stoop to stealing  _ without  _ endangering civilians? _

 

          The boss-looking guy noticed Gohan standing there and jumped a bit before composing himself and letting a cocky smirk spread across his gaunt masked face. He pointed some semi-automatic weapon at Gohan. “I don’t know how you managed to get in here, but you won’t be making it out in anything but a body bag!” He fired away, laughing all the while.

 

Gohan caught all the bullets and, once the boss-guy had emptied the clip, opened his hand to let them drop to the floor. The shaken shooter passed out right then and there. His presumed subordinates turned themselves in to the police the moment they realized what had happened. A few of the hostages let out cries of relief, and Gohan gave them a bright, reassuring smile. Just then, he heard a frantic engine trying to speed away.  _ Crap. _

 

          Gohan turned on his heel and sped out the bank just as quick as he’d entered it. His eyes caught the getaway car flooring it down the busy street and cursed the crooks for the danger they were putting all the other drivers in. He lifted his hand and let out a small shout, sending a small wave of ki at the car, flipping it. He winced at the damage it caused and ran to the wreckage to make sure nobody was hurt.

 

          The two criminals crawled out of the vehicle, shaken but unharmed. Gohan stayed to watch the police cuff them before glancing at his watch, this time being unable to suppress his yelp. He mumbled something about his mom killing him and walked into an alley, reverted back to his base form and putting his surgical mask back on. He stepped out of the alley and began walking down the street before being stopped.

 

          “YOU!”

 

          Gohan yelped again as a rather intimidating voice all but screamed at him. He looked up to see a girl who looked to be about his age with raven pigtails and striking blue eyes. Oh, and an extremely annoyed expression. Like,  _ extremely  _ annoyed.

 

          “Who did this? This hardly looks like police work!” She gestured towards the flipped car and apprehended criminals.

 

          He wasn’t quite sure why, but something about this girl’s glare and tone had him panicking. He couldn’t form proper thoughts as he felt her eyes boring into his very soul. He nearly choked on his own spit before stuttering out, “oh, uh, I-I wasn’t looking…?” He ran past her before she could really process what he’d said. He couldn’t be late, especially not on his first day!

 

_           What’s that guy’s deal? Wasn’t looking? _ Videl was skeptical to say the least, but she had more important mysteries to solve. She turned to a random onlooker and asked him what had happened.

 

          “Videl, you should’ve seen it! It was a…...a golden fighter!”

 

          “Golden fighter?”

 

          “Yes, a golden fighter! He was glowing, and he flipped a car just by shouting at it!” The old man was practically squealing. Other gawkers who’d heard the exchange decided to add their own two-cents.

 

          “And he had big ol’ fangs!”

 

          “He was all furry and stuff!”

 

          “I swear he had a tail!”

 

          “He was like a golden monkey man!”

  
          Videl had half a mind to dismiss these comments, but the sheer amount of identical accounts she’d heard over the course of the next few minutes disturbed her. She shook her head and sent her right fist into her left hand. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”


	2. Chapter 2

          Gohan waited in front of the door to his new classroom. His homeroom teacher, Mr. Lehr, had told him to wait until the students got settled in before entering so he could be properly introduced to the class. He was nervous for sure, but he was also excited. He'd never really had friends his age save for Dende, and he was eager to see what his peers would be like. He hoped they'd like him.

          Mr. Lehr opened the door suddenly, a tired but kind smile on his face. "Come on in and introduce yourself, son." Gohan smiled (not that the teacher could see) and nodded, and the teacher walked back into the room. Gohan followed suit, walking somewhat stiffly.

          "Settle down, class! I'd like you to meet your new classmate!" Mr. Lehr looked to Gohan expectantly. It took Gohan a few awkward moments to realize that this was his cue to speak. He laughed nervously.

          "Hello everyone, my name is Gohan Son. It's a pleasure to meet you all!" He bowed politely and turned back to the teacher, unsure of what to do next.

          "Mr. Son here aced all of Orange Star's entry exams! He's a true genius! You all could learn a few things by following his example!" A few students in the room snickered, while the more academically inclined shot Gohan some pretty envious looks. "Go ahead and take a seat, Mr. Son."

          Gohan shifted uncomfortably as he scanned the room. Half the students looked hostile, while the other half looked completely uninterested. There were a few vacant spaces, but he didn't feel right about just taking them without the consent those sitting in the adjacent seats. "Uh…"

          "Yoohoo, new boy!" A bubbly blonde girl jumped up and waved her hand enthusiastically. "There's an empty seat next to me!" She smiled brightly at him, and a wave of relief washed over him.

          "Thank you!" He returned her smile (again, not that she could see it, because of this _ridiculous mask)_ and made his way up the stairs to the seat next to her, a new spring to his step. He had been worried for a moment that his fellow classmates would be unwelcoming, but this girl had dispelled this thought. He sat down and turned to the kind girl. "It's nice to meet you!"

          "Hey there! I'm Erasa, with an 'E'," she gestured to the girl with black pigtails to her right, "and this is my friend Videl!" Videl just looked at Gohan, studying him. _Now where have I seen him before…._

          "You'll never guess who Videl's father is!" The confused look Erasa got from Gohan encouraged her to continue, "Her dad is the one and only Mr. Satan!" She gave him a proud smile.

 _No way! What are the odds!_ He chuckled and looked to Videl. "Wow! That must be neat, being the daughter of a celebrity and all!"

          "It's YOU!"

          Gohan jumped at Videl's sudden outburst "You're the guy from the bank! Mr. 'I-wasn't-looking'!"

 _Oh, it's her!_ The nerves Gohan had just rid himself of resurfaced. He scratched the back of his head and laughed, well, nervously. "Heh, yeah, I guess I am…" _Why is she so scary?_

          The glare she'd had previously softened after seeing Gohan's sudden panic. _Jeez, I need to learn to stop using my interrogation techniques on everyone I talk to. It's not like he actually did anything wrong…_

          Erasa bounced a bit in her seat and looked at Gohan with a spark in her eye. "Wow, you were at the bank right after the Golden Fighter vanished? How exciting!

          "Golden Fighter? Is that another celebrity?"

          "Gee Gohan, you sure are out of the gossip loop! The Golden Fighter is like a superhero!" She clasped her hands together. "They say he has super strength and magic powers! They also say he looks like a golden monkey, but cuter!"

          Gohan inhaled sharply through his teeth. _Great, it hasn't even been an hour and they've already made an urban legend out of me!_ He'd have to be more careful about concealing his powers...

          "So, _Gohan,_ " Videl raised an eyebrow, "what's with the nurse mask; you sick?"

          "I, uh, I guess you could say that."

          Videl couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't telling the truth. She really didn't have a reason not to believe him, but he just gave off this secretive vibe, like he was hiding something. She decided not to press it at the moment.

          Erasa gave him a sympathetic look. "Poor Gohan, sick on his first day! You must be pretty dedicated if you're here anyway!"

          "Yeah, I guess I am, heh."

          Videl was studying Gohan again, trying to figure out why he seemed so...abnormal. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what he was wearing. She glared at him again.

          Gohan looked over and their eyes met. He started sweating under her intense gaze. _Does….does she know?_ They stayed like this for a few tedious moments before Videl finally broke the tension. "Gohan."

          He swallowed. "Yes?" His voice was strained.

          "I just remembered what the Golden Fighter was said to be wearing." Her eyes flickered down to his clothes. "A white button-up shirt, a black vest, orange pants…" her eyes shifted slightly," ...and an Orange Star High School badge."

          "Hey, that's funny, you and the Golden Fighter dress alike!" Erasa added, oblivious to what Videl was implying.

 _Videl knows! She totally knows! My first day and I've already massively screwed up!_ "HAhaHA, WOW, what a coincidence, huh?!" The pitch in Gohan's voice shifted wildly as he desperately tried to shift suspicions off him. He'd always been a terrible liar; it just wasn't in his nature.

          The teacher was unamused. "You three in the back! Zip it!

          Gohan squeaked. "Y-yes, ma'am!" _That's funny, when did we switch teachers? Have we really been talking that long?_

          The muscular blond boy sitting to the right of Videl chuckled. "C'mon, Videl. Gohan, the Golden Fighter? He's just a booknerd!" He smirked. "The guy's gotta be _buff._ "

          Erasa turned to Gohan. "Ignore Sharpener. I bet you could fight crime if you _wanted_."

          "Oh, I doubt it." If Gohan didn't know any better, he'd say her tone was sort of… _flirtatious_. He shook his head. _Nah, couldn't be._

          Videl lightly bit the end of her pencil as she side-eyed Gohan. _Of_ course _it's not him, his_ hair's _not even the right color._ She looked down. _Then again, those fighters in the Cell Games could turn their hair gold. Come to think of it, they also looked pretty monkey-like…_

          Videl was broken out of her thoughts when Erasa spoke up. "So, Gohan, did you just move into the city? Maybe we could go to your house and help you settle in."

          "Actually, I commute here"

          "Oh, that's cool, where from?"

          "The 439 East District"

          Erasa shot out of her seat in surprise. "What?! Get outta town! That's, like, 500 miles away!"

          The teacher glared at her. "Excuse me!"

          "Eep! Sorry!" Erasa sat down quickly and hid her face behind her textbook. She turned to Gohan and whispered, "How do you get here? That's gotta be, like, a two-hour drive at least!"

          "I fly." Gohan's eyes widened and he quickly added "i-in a jet-copter!" He laughed nervously. "It's only about an hour that way, and I think that's a perfectly reasonable commute if it means getting a good education!" He groaned internally. _I can't believe I just said that…_

          "Now, can I get a volunteer to read this sample paragraph?"

          Gohan glanced down at the paragraph in question and giggled upon seeing the picture of Mr. Satan printed in the book. _That's wild! They even talk about Hercule in the grammar exercises!_

          "Hey, _Brains!_ " Sharpener called out to him somewhat condescendingly, "Volunteer and show us some of those smarts of yours!"

          "Yeah, c'mon, Gohan!" Erasa poked Gohan with her pen, causing him to leap out of his chair apprehensively, making startled breathy noises that sounded vaguely like nervous laughter. The teacher looked up at him.

          "Good, a volunteer!" She looked down at her class roster. "Now, I haven't quite learned your name yet…"

          Sharpener snickered and spoke up. "This is _Gohan_ , the _perfect-test-score_ boy."

          "Ah, that's right. Well, Gohan, go ahead."

          "Yes, ma'am." Gohan picked up his textbook as Erasa smiled at him and Videl continued to stare through the corner of her eye. "Now, what am I doing, exactly?"

          The teacher's eyes narrowed as she raised her voice. "You're reading the paragraph!"

          "Oh, right!" Gohan took a moment to compose himself before holding the textbook away from his face, squinting slightly. He cleared his throat and began reading aloud.

          "Mr. Satan moved to the city, which was then called 'Orange Star City', and started a happy family. After he beat Cell, who was very evil," Gohan chuckled quietly before continuing, "The city changed its name. Even though the world is now safe, Mr. Satan keeps his fitness routine, which includes running laps, and breaking _heavy rocks_." Gohan bit his lip to keep from laughing. The way that last bit was written reminded him of something his little brother would say.

          "Very good, Gohan, you may sit down."

* * *

          Gohan, Erasa, Sharpener, and Videl were sitting under a tree in the courtyard. Erasa had invited Gohan to eat lunch with them, something she didn't consult her friends about before doing, which was obvious by the looks they were giving him.

          Sharpener was annoyed that Erasa had let a _nerd_ sit with them. He didn't _hate_ Gohan - hell, he didn't even _dislike_ him - he was just concerned with how it would affect his social status. Sharpener was just kinda like that.

          Videl, on the other hand, was suspicious. Still. The more time she spent near Gohan, the more she felt something was off about him. She didn't really think he was the Golden Fighter, but she _did_ feel like he was hiding... _something_. Besides, she felt strangely drawn to him, like his very existence demanded her constant undivided attention. She chalked it up to curiosity.

          Everyone started unpacking their lunches. That is, everyone but Gohan. Erasa raised an eyebrow.

          "Gohan, didn't you bring something to eat?"

          "Nah, I guess I must've forgot my lunch at home…" He scratched the back of his head in the typical Son way. In truth, he had his lunch tucked away in a food capsule in his bag, but he didn't wanna risk his new friends seeing his fangs. If his mother found out, she would _not_ be happy.

          Gohan had fully anticipated eating lunch on his own, but he couldn't just turn down Erasa's invitation. Not only because he thought it'd be rude, but because eating lunch with them was the perfect opportunity to really solidify their friendship, and he wasn't gonna let it slip away. He grumbled as he felt his stomach protest his 'waiting until dinner' idea, but what other options did he have?

          "Here," Erasa handed Gohan an apple, "you can have this. I know it's not much, but it's something."

          "Thank you!" Gohan turned away from his new friends and lifted his mask, devouring the apple as quickly as possible. He re-secured his mask and turned back to said friends, who just blinked at him.

          "Whoa, brains, that was the fastest eating I've ever seen!" Sharpener shook his head incredulously. "You sucked that thing down in, what, .5 seconds?"

          Videl eyed Gohan. "How did you do that? No-one can eat that fast!" _This boy gets weirder and weirder by the minute._

          Gohan was a wreck yet again. "Oh, uh, ha, well, y'know," he looked anywhere but at Videl's piercing gaze, "it runs in the family?"

          Erasa and Sharpener accepted Gohan's words and laughed, but Videl wouldn't be so easily convinced. She'd have to add this to her growing mental list of reasons why Gohan Son was suspicious.

* * *

**btw the parenthetical stuff is another way to convey thought i guess**


	3. Chapter 3

          After lunch - and a few relatively uneventful classes - Sharpener, Erasa, Videl, and Gohan were headed to their last class of the day: gym. Sharpener was going on about how he looked forward to showing Gohan how a 'real' athlete did things. Gohan, however, wasn't paying any attention. He was too busy trying to come up with a way to somehow hide his strength.

          Gohan had never really been around many humans that _weren't_ abnormally powerful, and he had no idea what passed as 'normal' when it came to strength. He hoped he could just sit on the sidelines and wouldn't have to actually do anything. He couldn't risk doing something out of the ordinary, especially with Videl around.

          By the time the four of them had reached the gym, Gohan had himself thoroughly worked up. He didn't realize how high-strung he was at that moment until Sharpener patted his shoulder and he let out a loud yelp.

          Sharpener jumped a bit. "Whoa, Brains! Chill! I was just trying to tell you that we need to get changed." He was too caught off-guard to make any of his usual smart comments.

          "Wow, Gohan," Erasa giggled a bit, "you must be really nervous!"

          Videl nodded. "Makes sense," she scanned his torso quickly, "I doubt gym's his favorite subject." She was about to chuckle at her own remark when she saw the offended and slightly hurt look in Gohan's eyes. She disguised her almost-chuckle with a curt cough. _Man, that sounded a lot less rude in my head. What is_ wrong _with me today? I'm not usually like this with civilians._

          The emotion in Gohan's eyes left as soon as it had come. He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah…"

          Sharpener cleared his throat. "Well, Brains, we better get changed!" Before Gohan could respond, he was dragged into the changing room, while Videl experienced something similar with Erasa.

* * *

          "Alright Videl, what's going on?"

          "What do you mean?" Videl stopped fiddling with her locker to look up at her usually bubbly blonde friend.

          "With you and Gohan!" Erasa looked around before continuing. "You've been treating him like a petty criminal all day!"

          "W-what are you talking about?" Videl knew what she was talking about. "No i haven't!" She knew she had been, and she had no idea why. She was convinced he was hiding something, but she didn't really have any reason to suspect him of anything. She didn't have any reason to believe that he was anything but a normal teenager. Why was she suspicious of him again? A _vibe_ she got? She shook her head at how ridiculous she was being.

          " _Hello_ , Videl!" Erasa waved her hand in front of her friend's face. "That thoughtful expression tells me you know _exactly_ what you've been doing!" She huffed, "be nice to Gohan, he's new!"

          Videl sighed. She knew Erasa was right. "Yeah, okay," she frowned, "I'll try."

* * *

          Gohan, meanwhile, had been sitting on one of the benches in the men's changing room, waiting for everyone else to leave before changing. He had briefly wondered why there were separate rooms for girls and boys, but he shrugged it off as just another weird thing about 'normal' society.

          "Hey, Brains!" Sharpener had seen Gohan brooding on the bench and decided to try and cheer him up. He didn't know him very well, but there was just something about Gohan looking down that made Sharpener uneasy. He lifted his hand to pat Gohan's shoulder, but decided against it. "Aren't you gonna get changed?"

          "Oh, well..." Gohan decided he didn't have to lie for this one. "I'd rather wait until I'm alone…"

          Sharpener laughed. The laugh was cocky, but not unkind. "Ah, I get it. You don't want people seeing how much muscle you don't have!" Sharpener flexed to himself and gave Gohan a smile that was somehow both comforting and condescending. "Don't worry, there are stalls you can use behind there." He pointed to an odd cinderblock wall that just kind of ended about four feet from the end of the room.

          "Thank you!" Truthfully, Gohan didn't think he would make it out of the changing room on time every day if he had to wait for everyone else to leave. He skipped happily to one of the stalls, gym bag in hand.

          Sharpener just shook his head at the sight. _Kid's like a dog…_

* * *

          "Alright, kids," the coach clapped his hands, "today you'll be battling it out in the great sport of baseball!"

          The four sort-of friends had regrouped. All were wearing tank tops and shorts. That is, except for Gohan and Videl; the former wearing a navy blue long-sleeve t-shirt with gray sweatpants and baseball cap, with the latter wearing her usual large white t-shirt and black shorts. Erasa had winced upon laying her eyes on Gohan's outfit, but elected not to say anything.

          Videl decided this would be her opportunity to be a bit nicer to Gohan. After all, she didn't want this poor kid thinking she hated him for no reason. She mustered up the friendliest voice she could. "Hey, Gohan. Aren't you hot in that?"

          Erasa bit back a chuckle at that comment, but no-one picked up on it.

          Gohan examined his shirt briefly before looking back up at videl. "Not really, no. I like long-sleeves." He nodded in agreement with himself.

          "Who care's about that?" Sharpener adopted his usual self-assured smile. "Hey, mountain boy, you know what _baseball_ is?"

          Gohan didn't catch the mocking tone of Sharpener's question. "Well, I've read about it. Never played it, though."

          The gym coach cleared his throat, ending their conversation. "Team captains are Sharpener and Videl. You may begin when you're ready."

          The two captains picked their members one by one until they were left with just two choices. Sharpener picked Angela, so Videl was stuck with Gohan. _Great, this guy…_

          Gohan visibly winced at Videl's annoyed expression. At first he'd thought she'd been onto him, but no he was beginning to suspect that she just didn't like him. He sighed dejectedly. _What did I_ do _?_

          Videl looked at Gohan and shook her head. _No, I'm doing it again! Be nice, Videl!_ She lost the glare she didn't realized she'd been shooting him and tried for a kind smile, but quickly gave it up and returned to her resting face. "Alright, you're on right field." She thought for a moment. "...You _do_ know where that is, right?"

          "Right! It's to the right, right?" Gohan laughed a bit at his own statement. If his mouth wasn't covered with that surgical mask, Videl would be seeing one of the dorkiest grins to ever exist. She fought back a smile and tried her best to look annoyed.

          " _Right_ …"

* * *

          Gohan's time in the outfield passed uneventfully, with Videl striking the first three batters out with ease. Gohan was relieved to say the least.

          His relief was short-lived, however, as his turn to bat came much quicker than he'd hoped. He trudged to the batter box and tried to emulate what he'd seen his classmates doing.

          "Uh, kid?"

          Gohan looked up to see the coach giving him a look he couldn't discern. "Yes?"

          "You're in the left-handed box."

          "Is...is that bad?" Gohan stood upright.

          "No, it's just-" the coach sighed. "Y'know what? Whatever you're comfortable with, kid."

          Gohan nodded and tried to repeat the position he'd been in previously. Sharpener, who was on the pitcher's mound, snickered at Gohan's posture. _What a nerd! I'll just give him a little scare..._

          Sharpener wound his arm back and smirked mischievously. After a few short moments he threw the ball as hard as he could, right at Gohan's head. _Alright Gohan, now show us how much of a wimp you are and jump out of the way!_

          Gohan furrowed his brow. _This doesn't look right! I thought the ball was supposed to be thrown at the bat, but that looks like it's headed for-_

          The ball collided straight with Gohan's temple. At 90 MPH. Everyone went silent. Sharpener's stomach sank. _I-IDIOT! You were supposed to DODGE!_

          Oddly enough, the only one who seemed unaffected was Gohan, who was just standing there looking confused. The only sign that he had even been hit in the first place was the fact that his head was tilted slightly to the left. _What happens when you get hit with the ball again? Oh, right!_

          Gohan pointed to where he'd been hit. "This means I walk, right?"

          The coach picked up his slacked jaw and blinked at him. "No, Gohan, it means you go to the nurse."

          "The nurse?" Gohan pouted a bit in thought. "Why? I'm not hurt or anything."

          Videl couldn't lie, her first thought was that Gohan was invincible or something. _How could he be completely uninjured?!_ But then she thought about it a bit and remembered reading somewhere that people with serious head injuries sometimes wouldn't feel the pain from it until long after they got hurt. Her eyes widened. _What if he has a concussion?_

          "I'll take him to the nurse, sir!" Videl walked over to Gohan and grabbed his arm, thinking he might pass out suddenly. "He might be seriously injured."

          The coach nodded. "Yes, thank you, Videl."

          Gohan was baffled. Why were they taking him to the nurse? Was he missing something? And why was Videl gripping his arm like that? He'd need to ask his mom about all this once he got home.

          "C'mon, Gohan," Videl said in an unusually gentle voice, "let's go." She began leading him to their destination.

          Gohan frowned. "Videl, this is really nice of you and all, but I can walk on my own."

          "Maybe for now, but what if you collapse? I don't want you bashing your head and worsening it." Videl was used to tending to injured hostages until the ambulances would arrive, and that's the exact mindset she was in at that moment. All her suspicions of Gohan were temporarily replaced with worry.

          Gohan couldn't help but smile. _Wow, maybe she_ doesn't _hate me! I guess I'm just bad at reading people._

          They stopped in front of a heavy-looking wooden door. Gohan guessed this was the nurse's office. Videl opened the door and carefully guided Gohan inside.

          "Can I help you?" The nurse slid out of a small office-looking thing inside of the office on a computer chair.

          "Yes, Gohan here got hit right in the temple with one of Sharpener's pitches. I think he might have a concussion or something, he says he doesn't feel any pain."

          The nurse's expression hardened. "That certainly isn't a good sign." He stood up and took Gohan's other arm, leading him to sit on one of the cots. "Here, let me examine the injury."

          After a few minutes of poking and prodding at Gohan's head, the nurse was left was dumbfounded. "Are you sure he was actually hit?"

          Videl put her hands on her hips. "Yes, why?"

          "I'm not seeing any signs of injury anywhere. He seems completely fine to me."

          Gohan nodded - the first sign of him being conscious in quite a while. "See? Told ya I was fine!"

          Videl mistook his playful tone for a mocking one, and she did _not_ like that perceived attitude of his. "WELL _EXCUSE ME_ FOR _WORRYING_ ABOUT YOU!" She sent him a chilling glare before turning around and stomping out of the room. Gohan's jaw went slack.

          "Did...did I do something wrong?"

* * *

**anyone else find it kinda weird that school nurses are almost always women?**


	4. Chapter 4

          "How was your first day of school, Sweetie?" Chi-Chi smiled warmly at Gohan from across the dinner table. He swallowed and put his fork down.

          "It was fun, but confusing." Gohan looked deep in thought. "I think I made a few friends."

          "That's wonderful! What are their names? What are they like?"

          "First, there's Erasa. She's really energetic and, well, friendly. Then there's Sharpener, who's really into fitness, I think." Gohan's brow furrowed. "Then there's Videl…"

          Chi-Chi caught the shift in her son's attitude. "Did something happen between you and this Videl person?"

          "Sort of?" Gohan scratched his head in thought. "I can't really tell if she hates me or wants to be friends." He decided then and there not to tell his mom that Videl might know about his powers.

          "What do you mean?"

          "Well, she was acting pretty cold to me at first, but then I got hit in the head with a baseball and she seemed really concerned-"

          "You WHAT?!" Chi-Chi immediately ran over to Gohan and began inspecting his head. Goten jumped a bit at his mom's sudden outburst, but immediately went back to stuffing his face. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

          "No, no! I'm fine Mom, really!" Gohan gave her a reassuring smile. "The ball was really slow, I almost didn't feel it!"

          Chi-Chi sighed in relief and walked back to her seat. "Alright, you may continue."

          "Right. Anyway, Videl _insisted_ on walking me to the nurse's office, even though I kept telling her I was fine. She even held onto my arm like I couldn't walk myself!"

          Chi-Chi gasped. "She wasn't _hitting_ on you, was she?!" She didn't wait for Gohan to respond. "Oh, we can't have some _stranger_ trying to distract _my_ Gohan from his studies!"

          Gohan blushed a bit and shook his head. "No, Mom! She was just trying to make sure I didn't fall down or something!" He waited for his mother to settle down to continue. "She was _convinced_ I had a concussion." He frowned and looked down, adopting a defeated tone. "Besides, she yelled at me and stormed out once she found out I was fine."

          Chi-Chi glared at nothing. "This _Videl_ sounds like a bad influence. You shouldn't be friends with someone like _that_."

          Gohan didn't know why, but the way his mother had said this made him determined to be Videl's friend. "No, I think I said something rude to her and didn't realize it. You know how bad I am at reading people." He smiled. "I'm sure she'll make a great friend if I put in the effort to get to know her."

* * *

          Videl lay in bed, going over the day's events. She'd given up on sleep after about an hour of fruitless tossing and turning. No matter what she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about how odd that knew kid had been. She decided to make a mental list of all the things she knew about him, starting with a physical description.

_Let's see...he has jet black hair that sticks upright, he has really big ears, he's like six feet tall, he has a strong brow that contradicts that oddly innocent look in his (black?) eyes…._ She frowned. _And he wears that nurse mask._ She briefly wondered if she'd be able to recognize him without it, but shook the thought quickly. _He has a very recognizable frame. Now, onto his personality…_

          She shifted her body to face the other way. _He seemed really nervous, but that could just be because it was his first day. He seemed pretty nice, albeit oblivious._ She glared a bit to herself as she remembered his seemingly rude tone in the nurse's office. After she had cooled down earlier, she realized Gohan probably hadn't meant to sound patronizing. She hadn't known him for long, but she figured it seemed out of character for the guy to purposefully upset someone.

_Wait._ Videl's eyes widened in realization. _The nurse's office! Gohan wasn't hurt at all!_ She shot up into a sitting position. _He wasn't even fazed by that hit! Is he made of steel or something?!_ If she hadn't been suspicious of him before, she sure was now. _What the hell?!_

* * *

          When Gohan woke up that morning, he had fully planned on wearing the same thing he'd had on the previous day. However, Chi-Chi was having none of it.

          "We don't want everyone thinking you only have one outfit!" Chi-Chi shook her head and tore through Gohan's closet. "I swear, Gohan, it's like you don't care one bit about your appearance!"

          Gohan had been about to reply when his mother threw him a white Chinese-style jacket and light-blue silk pants - and outfit strikingly similar to the one he had worn right before the Cell Games. He had to admit it was easier to hide his tail in such loose pants.

          After eating breakfast, Gohan grabbed his bag, kissed both his mother and Goten on the cheek, threw on his surgical mask, and headed off to school.

* * *

          Videl was having a less-than-stellar morning. She had gotten a maximum of 2 hours of sleep, and she was _definitely_ feeling it. She managed to wake up a good half-hour late, so she hadn't had time to shower _or_ eat breakfast. She was feeling _that_ , too. And now she just _had_ to stumble across an armed robbery of a Waffle Hut. _Who? Robs? A Waffle Hut?_

          Videl was _pissed._

          The police hadn't arrived yet, so she'd have to go this one alone. She cracked her knuckles and snuck her way inside the building. She sized up the enemy. _Three robbers, all with automatics. Why?! It's a_ Waffle hut _!_ She ducked behind a corner and waited for an opening.

* * *

          Gohan was _steamed._ He'd been flying to school at a leisurely pace when he noticed what looked like _another_ armed robbery. _What is_ up _with this city? Is this a daily thing?!_

          Gohan took both his mask and jacket off and transformed into a Super Saiyan. _Here, this way I won't have to worry about Videl recognizing my outfit._ He hopped off Nimbus and tossed the excess articles of clothing into a nearby bush before speeding into the Waffle Hut, his golden tail freeing itself from its hiding place and swishing about.

* * *

          Videl had been just about to pounce when the wrongdoer she'd had her sights on collapsed. Her eyes snapped up to whatever had taken out her target. What she saw was a golden...monkey? _He's totally covered in fur! And he has a tail! And those fangs..._

_This must be that Golden Fighter everyone's been talking about! I better scope this out._ Videl backed farther into her hiding place and stared intently at the monkey-man, who had an incredibly intense look about him. She couldn't tell if he was actually glaring, or if his strong brow just made him look like that all the time.

          The Golden Fighter had finished taking out the second crook when the last one standing grabbed a young kid who'd been caught in the restaurant when the robbery started. The kid screamed as the criminal held a gun to his head. "N-not so fast, monkey boy!" He gulped. "One more step and this kid is good as dead!"

          Videl's heart skipped a beat. _That golden idiot! Why wasn't he paying attention!_ She cursed herself. _I should've jumped in, I knew I couldn't trust this guy to take care of police business!_

          The Golden Fighter didn't seem worried in the slightest. In fact, he looked more annoyed than anything. This further infuriated Videl. _Why isn't he taking this seriously. That kid's life is one the line!_

          Videl was snapped out of her inner-rant went the Golden Fighter phazed behind the crook, taking him out before he could even consider pulling the trigger. She gaped as the criminal crumpled to the ground.

* * *

          Gohan sighed in relief as the crook collapsed, leaving the child unharmed. Gohan knelt in front of the still-crying kid and smiled brightly, patting him on the shoulder. He spoke in a voice slightly gruffer than that of his normal one. "It's alright. You're safe now."

          The kid took one look at him and went into hysterics. "P-p-please! D-don't hurt m-me!" He flailed wildly and shoved against Gohan's chest, pushing himself away from the scary monkey-man. He cowered in fear behind one of the adults who had built up the nerve to stand.

          Gohan was taken aback by this. He stood up suddenly and opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to find words to say. The kid spoke up again. "G-get out!"

          This broke Gohan out of his stupor. Without a word, he spun around and left the shop. It was in that moment he realized why his mom had told him to hide so much of himself.

          He was _scary._

          And this realization crushed him.


	5. Chapter 5

          Videl was dumbfounded. Her mind had checked out after watching some glowing monkey-guy teleporting behind a robber and taking him out in an instant with one soft chop. If she hadn't been in a trance, she might've noticed the dejected Golden Fighter leaving the shop, and she might've been able to stop him for questioning. But she was far too stunned for any of that. She needed to lie down.

          Nobody would mind if she showed up a few hours late to school that day, right?

* * *

          After changing back into his regular form and attire, Gohan started walking to school. He decided to take his time and try to clear his head before getting there, hoping he'd feel a bit better by the time he arrived.

          Truth be told, he really wasn't feeling up to interacting with his peers today, but he figured he didn't have a choice. He was the one who wanted to attend public high school in the first place; what would his mom think if he just skipped? He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. This was gonna be a long day.

* * *

          Gohan walked into the class a split second before the bell rang. Normally he'd be panicking in this situation, but he wasn't really invested in his surroundings right then. He made his way to his seat slowly with the slightest hint of a slouch. He felt awful, but he would prefer nobody know about it. He liked to keep his negative emotions to himself.

          "Gohan!" Erasa broke into a wide smile as the boy in question sat next to her. "You're okay!"

          "Whoa, Brains!" Sharpener looked up from his aggressively masculine compact to study Gohan's head. "There's not even a scratch on you! You should join the boxing club, we're always looking for people who can take a punch!"

          Gohan put on his most convincing smile before greeting his new friends. He knew they couldn't see it behind his mask, but he figured it'd help him sound more cheerful. "I don't think I'd be very good at boxing." he laughed nervously. "Besides, I just got lucky yesterday!" After everyone's reactions, he'd gathered that a 'normal' person would've been hurt by that pitch, and decided now was as good a time as any to start playing along.

          He tried to avoid Sharpener's questioning gaze and his eyes landed on the empty seat beside Erasa. He frowned a bit. _That's funny, I thought for sure she'd get here before me considering how slow I walked._ "Where's Videl?"

          "She's probably out fighting crime or something." Erasa shrugged. "I wouldn't worry too much about it."

          "She's _WHAT?!_ "

          "Mr. Son! Is there something you'd like to _share with the class_?"

          Gohan's face was aflame. "N-no, sir, Mr. Lehr!" He hid his face behind a textbook and Erasa giggled before answering Gohan's outburst in a hushed voice.

          "Videl is Satan City's own crime-fighter!"

          "But isn't that _dangerous?!_ "

          "Don't worry, Videl's incredibly strong!" Erasa beamed. "She's almost as strong as her dad!"

          This did nothing to ease Gohan's worries. _Hercule may be strong for a human, but he's nothing compared to a couple criminals with guns! And if Videl's the same level as he is…_

          Erasa saw the look in Gohan's eyes and punched his arm playfully. "C'mon, stop worrying so much! She's been doing this for years and she's no worse for wear."

          Gohan was still unconvinced, but he decided to drop the subject. He stared intently at nothing as he tried to remember Videl's ki-signature and search it out. He had to admit that it was considerably higher than the average human's, which he took as a sign that she was a skilled fighter. He couldn't remember Hercule's signature to compare them.

          After confirming that there weren't any spiking ki-signatures in the area, Gohan decided it was best to just trust Videl in whatever she was doing. Erasa had a point in that Videl had been handling herself just fine for quite a while.

* * *

          Videl was beside herself. She'd been lying in bed for a few hours now going over what had happened that morning. She'd be lying, however, if she said she was skipping school solely because of her shock. No, it was more like a combination of that and her overwhelming fatigue that led her to stay home. Finally though, after missing half the school day, she decided it was time to get up and go. After all, she doubted being left alone with her thoughts was helping her any.

          Videl rolled out of bed grudgingly and stepped into the bathroom, turning on the shower before turning it back off, deciding against it. _No, I'll probably get lost in thought again. Better just get dressed..._

* * *

          Gohan felt sick. It was halfway through third period now and Videl still hadn't shown up. His stomach lurched with each ringing of the bell. _What if she got hurt? What if she's in trouble right now? What if she's_ dead _?!_ He shook his head vigorously. _Calm down, Gohan! Her not being here doesn't necessarily mean she's fighting crime. She's probably just sick or something!_ His nerves disagreed.

          "Hey, Brains. Still worried about Videl?" Sharpener looked to Gohan with some combination of amusement and...concern(?) in his eyes. "Don't be. She can handle herself."

          The bell rang and the trio stood. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

          "So, Gohan!" Erasa shouldered her bag. "Wanna eat lunch with us again?"

          Gohan considered objecting, but he decided against it. He wasn't really feeling that hungry anyway. "Sure, I'd love to!"

* * *

          When Videl had gotten to the office, the receptionist told her that her class had been eating lunch. She thanked the worker and hurried off to the courtyard where she knew her friends usually ate. She looked forward to conversing with her with them, hoping it'd cheer her up.

          "So, Gohan," Erasa began, "I can't help but notice you're still wearing that nurse mask. Still sick?"

          "Sure, I guess-"

          Gohan nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Videl approaching his spot under the tree. He couldn't help his face from breaking into the goofiest grin imaginable. _She's okay! I knew I was worried for nothing!_

          Erasa jumped from her spot. "Videl! You were gone an awfully long time." She grinned slyly. "Were you hanging out with a _special someone_?"

          "Of course not, Erasa." Videl flipped a pigtail behind her shoulder and frowned. "I just got kinda held up by something."

          "About time you got here." Sharpener smirked and pointed to Gohan with his thumb. "This one's been worried sick about you ever since Erasa told him you fought crime. I thought he was gonna pass out!"

          Said teen blushed madly at suddenly being called out and turned away from the group. Was it so wrong to be concerned about his new friend?! "WELL, uh, fighting crime is DANGERous, y'know?!" His voice was unsteady.

          Erasa and Sharpener laughed boisterously as Videl just stood there, slightly confused. _Worried? Doesn't this kid know who I am?_ She glared at Gohan, who continued to look away. _Still, it does feel kinda nice knowing someone was worrying about me. Maybe being friends with him wouldn't be so bad…_. She was suddenly reminded of something.

          "I saw him today." Erasa sat back in her previous spot and Videl plopped down next to her. "The Golden Fighter, I mean. I ran into him during an armed robbery this morning."

          Just like that, Erasa stopped laughing and sat bolt upright. "Wow, you _saw_ him?!" She added as an afterthought, "was he _hot_?!"

          Videl rolled her eyes. "I don't know Erasa, I was too busy staring at his _tail_ to notice his face."

          "So he really _does_ have a tail!" Erasa was bouncing a bit in excitement.

          Sharpener was towing the line between skepticism and interest. "No way!"

          Videl held her hand up to Sharpener. "No, it's true! He also had these big ol' fangs, and fur all over his body!"

          Gohan was on the verge of a panic attack. _WHAT?! Videl was there?! I didn't see - or sense - her at all! Was I really that distracted?!_

          Videl noticed his extremely uncomfortable demeanor and decided to write it off as disbelief. _For now._

          "But that's not even the weirdest part." Videl's expression hardened and she looked down. "He basically teleported behind the criminals and took each of them out with a single blow. He didn't even break a sweat!"

          "No _way!_ " Sharpener's eyes were wide as dinner plates.

          Erasa clasped her hands together. "Oh my God, he's like a real-life superhero!"

_Superhero, huh?_ Gohan rubbed his chin. _That gives me an idea…_

* * *

          The rest of the school day passed surprisingly uneventfully, and before Gohan knew it he was headed to the city's outskirts to take off. "Nimbus!"

          In a matter of seconds, the yellow cloud was stationed in front of the hybrid teen who'd called it. Gohan hopped on and shoved his mask in his pocket, revealing a giddy smile. "To Capsule Corp.!"


	6. Chapter 6

          "So basically, I need something to disguise myself while I fight crime."

          Bulma took a long drag from her cigarette and sighed before looking up at Gohan. "A disguise, huh? Got anything in mind?"

          "Yeah, actually." Gohan grabbed a piece of paper and quickly sketched a silly-looking superhero costume. "This is Goten's character, Saiyaman. I don't think he'd mind me taking on the persona."

          The scientist smiled sentimentally and scratched her head "I can work with this. Might take an hour or so though. Do you mind playing with Trunks while I work on it? It'd make his day."

          "I was already planning on hanging out with the little guy. It's been too long since we've seen each other!"

          "It's been, what, a week?"

          "Exactly!" Gohan turned and left the lab, grinning from ear to ear. _This is gonna be great!_

          After walking through the halls a bit, the teen stopped at Trunks' bedroom door and knocked gently, trying his best not to break anything. He had a bad habit of destroying everything he touched, and he'd rather not add to the growing list of doors he'd accidentally decimated. "Hey, trunks! You in there?"

          "GOHAN!" Trunks slammed the door open and embraced his sort-of brother in a death grip faster than the average person could blink. Gohan winced as he witnessed the door tearing off its hinges.

          After briefly mourning the loss of the poor unassuming door, Gohan patted the young boy's head affectionately. "I see someone's excited. Wanna go work off some of that energy?"

          Trunks was already sprinting down the hallway by the time Gohan had finished his sentence. The teen simply shook his head in amusement and followed after him.

* * *

          Trunks and Gohan had been halfway through a level of Teleportal II When Bulma burst into the room with a proud smirk on her face, holding a black digital watch in front of her. "It's done."

          Gohan shot up immediately and skipped over to the scientist, holding his hands out in anticipation. Bulma dropped the watch into his palms and ushered him to a nearby mirror.

          Gohan eagerly strapped the device onto his left wrist, taking a moment to inspect it before looking up to his blue-haired friend. "So, how's it work?"

          Bulma nodded to herself smugly. "All you gotta do is press that big red button on the side and presto! Instant superhero!"

          "That's so cool!" Trunks was jumping up and down. "Could you make me one, Mom? Please?"

          "You bet!" Bulma's smirk only grew.

          Gohan couldn't take it anymore. As soon as Bulma had finished her response, he pressed the obvious button on his new watch and marvelled as an orange, red, green, and black outfit suddenly materialized around his form. He flipped his cape and grinned widely as it fluttered.

          "I added a little compartment behind the belt for you to comfortably keep your tail. Does it fit?"

          "Oh, not _only_ does it fit," Gohan struck a heroic pose and adopted a ridiculous theatrical voice. "It's a _super_ fit!"

          Trunks dropped his juice box. "Y'know what? I don't need one after all, Mom."

* * *

          Gohan arrived home about five minutes before dinner time. He'd considered patrolling Satan City before heading back, but he decided the threat of what his mom would do to him if he was late outweighed his eagerness to make his debut. Goten tackled his big brother to the ground with a bear hug before he could even make his way through the front door.

          "Gohan! You're back!"

          "You bet I am!" Gohan giggled goofily and ruffled his little brother's hair. "C'mon, I have something really cool to show you!"

          The brothers got up and pranced to their shared bedroom, with Gohan stopping to hug his mother before continuing.

          Once both were inside, Gohan shut the door. "Okay, Goten!" He gestured to his new device. " _Watch_ this!"

          Goten gasped as his brother's school clothes were replaced with his new superhero getup. "Oh my gosh, Gohan! You're Saiyaman! You're really him! This is so cool! Do some poses!"

          Gohan obliged giddily, striking many embarrassing poses for his brother.

          "Gohan this is so awesome! Say some cool superhero things!"

          Said superhero struck a few more poses and put his goofy theatrical voice back on. "Evil beware, for I am the bringer of justice!" He went into a crouched position and ran in place. "Ally to good, nightmare to villainy!" He did a weird breakdance-thing. "I am...THE _GREAT_ …," he paused for dramatic effect, " **SAIYAMAN!** "

          Goten let-loose an earsplitting squeal and hopped from one foot to the other. "YES! This is _perfect_! Now you gotta do that every time you take on the bad guys!"

          Gohan paled. "L-like, in public?"

          "Of _course_ , silly!" Goten ran to his brother and squeezed his leg. "I'll be watching you on the news to see how _awesome_ you do"

          "Goten, I don't-"

          "Boys! Dinner!"

* * *

          Videl grumbled as she plopped down in her seat, nearly slamming her head onto her desk. She'd been kept up all night yet again; this time by thoughts of the Golden Fighter and his odd powers and physiology. She let out a yawn and buried her face in her arms, trying desperately to block out her surroundings. She at least took solace in the fact that everyone in her class knew not to disturb her when she got like thi-

          "Something wrong, Videl?"

          Videl let out the longest sigh her lungs would allow and glared up at the fool who would dare break her out of her thoughts. _Of course it's the new boy. Nobody else would be this stupid._

          "S-s-sorry for bothering you!" Gohan swiftly sat himself down and began furiously sketching in his notebook as a futile attempt to distract himself from The Deadly Glower. Erasa patted his back supportingly as Videl lay her head back down.

          "Don't worry, Gohan." Erasa gave him a reassuring smile. "Videl's just kinda grumpy in the mornings. It's best to leave her be."

          "So, Brains," Sharpener sat himself down on the edge of Gohan's desk, "you ever gonna take that mask off?"

_Uh-oh. They expect me to take this off eventually?!_ He wrang his hands nervously. _I can't do that!_

          "Well?" Sharpener raised his eyebrow.

          "Uh...no?"

          Now Videl was interested. She narrowed her eyes at Gohan. "No?! What do you mean _no?!_ "

          Gohan couldn't help but squeak a bit at this. _Oh, now I've done it!_ "W-w-well, it's just that, I, uh, I…"

          "You…?"

          "I, uh…" Gohan flushed in embarrassment. "I wouldn't feel comfortable taking it off…" _Well, it's true. I just hope she'll buy it._

          Videl narrowed her eyes further before softening her expression. Gohan was freaking out, sure, but he didn't seem like he was lying. She felt kinda bad for pressing him so hard on something he was clearly insecure about. She felt like apologizing, but couldn't really bring herself to do it. _Something still feels off about him. It feels like there's more to this than he's letting on…_

          Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing bell signalling for class to start. Sharpener sauntered back to his seat as everyone took out their textbooks.

          Erasa patted Gohan's shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay, Gohan. You don't have to take the nurse mask off."

          "Thanks, Erasa. I-"

          Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a certain teen's communicator watch crackling to life. "Videl, we've got a situation! Some armed criminals hijacked a prison bus and are headed down Route 15!"

          Videl jumped to her feet. "I'll be right there, Chief!" She sprinted out of the classroom without so much as a wave to the teacher.

          Gohan sat and considered his next move. _Should I go help her? Erasa and Sharpener said she could handle herself, but a hijacking is serious business! Besides, this would be a great opportunity for Saiyaman to make his debut! But if I have to do those ridiculous poses…_

          After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, Gohan had made up his mind. He raised his hand impatiently.

          "Yes, boy?"

          "May I go to the restroom?" He tapped his foot anxiously.

          "You may."

          "Thank you!" Gohan shot out of his seat and sprinted out the door, causing a few papers to go flying. The teacher blinked a few times before coughing curtly and continuing the lesson.

* * *

_Alright, easy does it._ Videl lowered her jet-copter as far as she thought safe before steeling herself and throwing the door open. She took a deep breath and jumped out, rolling as she landed on the top of the prison bus. She stood up carefully and caught sight of a hatch near the back. _All I gotta do is get in through there and take out the hijackers. Easy enough._

          As Videl entered through the hatch and began taking out the armed crooks, Gohan watched from overhead in full Saiyaman gear. After much deliberation, he'd decided it would be best not to intervene unless the situation got out of hand. The thought of Videl being trapped in that bus with who knows how many armed enemies admittedly made him nervous, but she could handle it. _I hope._

* * *

          Videl was doing wonderfully. After several minutes of bobs, weaves, and choice chops, there was only one guy left: the driver. Now all she had to do was find a way to take him out and take control of the vehicle. She dusted off her gloves and charged at the man, hoping beyond hope that this scuffle wouldn't cause the bus to crash.

          "Hey, watch it!" The driver dodged Videl's kick and unintentionally jerked the wheel in the process, causing the bus to swerve to the left. The pigtailed crime-fighter reflexively grabbed the closest object to keep from falling. To her horror, the closest object just-so-happened to be the steering wheel, which was now jerked to the right. Both occupants screamed as the bus nearly tipped over from the sudden shift in direction.

          Unfortunately, neither party was paying attention to just where the bus had swerved to until they heard the sound of wood splintering outside. They both chanced a glance out the windshield to find that they had barreled through the wooden guard rail and were headed right for the edge of the highest cliff in Satan City with no time to brake. The driver passed out in shock.

          Videl dropped to the ground and covered her head, squeezing her eyes shut. _So this is it, huh? Killed before I even graduate high school. No, it can't end like this! There's so much I haven't done…_

          She waited for death.

          And waited.

          And...waited?

          Videl noticed by now that the gut-wrenching sensation of freefalling had slowed to a halt. _Am...am I dead?_ Slowly, reluctantly, she pried her eyes open. She was definitely still in the prison bus, but it had stopped moving. She tried to stand only to fall back down again from the sudden jolt of the bus...moving upward?

          Once again, the vehicle came to a stop. Videl stood up and cautiously walked to the door. "Are we...back on the road?" She stepped out and stomped her foot on the asphalt a few times to make sure it was real.

          "Hey, you okay?"

          Videl jumped and turned toward the source of the voice. What she saw made her do a double-take. Right there, standing in front of a group of police officers, was some dude dressed in full superhero garb. _Is this some kinda joke? Who is this guy? Why is he dressed like that?_

          "Miss Videl?"

          The teen in question looked up at the weird cosplayer. "What...happened?"

          "That prison bus you were retaking drove right off a cliff, so I flew down and caught it." The strange man recounted matter-of-factly, gently lifting the bus up a few feet for emphasis. She saw the police officers behind him nod vigorously. "Good thing I was here or you might've gotten hurt!" He gingerly placed the bus back down and smiled warmly at her.

          Videl's mind was racing. _What did...how did he...what the…._ She looked from the bus back to the possible real-life superhero. _...Does he have_ fangs _?!_ "Who...who are you?"

          Gohan smirked for a second before grimacing. _I guess I'm really gonna do this...for Goten._ He sighed and put on his cheesiest grin before striking a few humiliating poses. He put on his dramatic superhero voice and tried his best to keep his shame out of it. "I am...THE GREAT... **SAIYAMAN**!" He held his final pose for a few moments before standing upright triumphantly. _Hey, that wasn't so bad! It was actually kinda fun...if you ignore the whole 'overwhelming humiliation' thing._

_Oh no. Nononononononono no. This is_ _not_ _happening right now. Did I actually die?_ She slapped herself and realized that, no, she was definitely still alive. Saiyaman ran up to her with inhuman speed and started fussing over her.

          "Seriously, are you okay? Is your head okay? Do we need to get you to the hospital? Oh, I should probably take you there anyway, just to get you checked out. Y'know, just to be safe? Just to be sure you're alright? Here, I'll fly you there." Saiyaman outstretched his arms and waited.

          "No, thanks, I'll just…" she signalled to the police officers, "I'll ride with them."

          "Are you sure? It'd be quicker if I-"

          " _Yes_ , I'm sure."

          "Alright, I'll see you around I guess."

          "Wait, what do you mean by tha-"

          Saiyaman took to the sky before Videl could finish her inquiry. She was annoyed, definitely, but she was moreso shocked by 'Saiyaman' straight-up flying away. _What is going on in this city?!_


	7. Chapter 7

          Videl was lying in her bed contemplating once again. She'd decided to lie down immediately after arriving home, far too troubled to consider doing anything else. She had been sure she was going to die earlier, and one doesn't shake that off so easily. Desperate to think of anything besides her near-death, her thoughts drifted to the enigma that was The Great Saiyaman.

          Her thoughts immediately went to how Saiyaman had fangs, just like that Golden Fighter. _Nah, couldn't be…._ She shook her head. _That monkey boy's fangs were_ way _bigger than Saiyaman's. Plus, from what I could see of Saiyaman's face, it didn't look like he had any fur. Besides, their powers are different. The Golden Fighter has some sort of super-speed, whereas Saiyaman seemed to have super-strength...and the ability to fly._

          Videl smacked her right hand to her forehead. _What am I thinking?! Of course neither of them_ actually _have those powers! It must've been some kind of trick!_ Despite the fervor with which she denied these ideas, she admittedly wasn't so sure. What kind of trick could Saiyaman have possibly used to save her earlier that day? He couldn't have had time to set up any sort of pulley system, and she hadn't noticed any aircraft overhead that might've been suspending him.

          She sighed heavily. Things were getting weirder by the day, and she didn't know how to feel about it.

* * *

          Videl was walking to school, the events of the previous day still fresh in her mind. She replayed the events over and over, trying to come up with some rational explanation for what happened. She was so focused on this, in fact, she wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings, meaning she didn't notice the light turn green right before she started crossing the street. She took a few steps forward before-

          "VIDEL, LOOK OUT!"

          "Wha-" Something grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards before she had time to process what was happening. The next thing she knew, she was staring into a pair of distraught obsidian eyes.

          Gohan, who'd decided to start heading to school on foot once he'd reached the outskirts of the city, had noticed Videl about to walk right into oncoming traffic and freaked out. True, the worst that could've happened would probably be her getting honked at by a few disgruntled drivers, but Gohan's imagination tended to exaggerate. He'd sprinted to the scene and pulled Videl out of the street faster than any onlookers had time to realize what was happening. He'd spun her around and now had a hand on each of her shoulders, scanning her to make sure nothing was off. "Videl, are you okay?!"

          Videl just blinked at him for a few moments. "...What do you mean 'am I okay'?" She glared at him, as she tended to do. "What's the big idea grabbing me out of nowhere?!"

          Gohan squeaked and let go of her. He relaxed slightly as he saw Videl was acting like her usual self. "Well, I mean…"

          An old man strolled over and patted Gohan on the back, laughing heartily. "Videl, you shoulda seen it! You were walking right into oncoming traffic, and this young man pulled you outta the way faster than I've ever seen!" The man turned to Gohan. "You've got some nice reflexes there, kid!"

          Gohan laughed nervously and backed away from the man. "Yeah, well, what can I say!" He glanced at his watch. "Wow, look at the time! I gotta get to class! It was nice meeting you!" He began stiffly taking his leave.

          Videl cleared her throat. "Gohan."

          Said boy stopped in his tracks and turned slowly. Y...yes?"

          "We're headed to the same place. Might as well walk together."

          Gohan perked up visibly, and Videl could tell he was grinning widely behind that mask of his. His eyes told her it was a good-natured grin. She softened her demeanor and strode up next to him, feeling kind of guilty for being so cold to him before. She made up her mind then: her and Gohan Son would be friends.

* * *

          They'd been walking in silence for a good 10 minutes, and neither were really sure if it was a comfortable one or not. Gohan was the first to break it.

          "Is something wrong, Videl?"

          The girl in question turned her head to her new friend and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

          There was that concerned look again. "Well, it's just..." He frowned. "You seemed really...out of it earlier, and I heard about that bus incident…."

          Videl gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Gohan. I've just got a lot on my mind."

          "If you say so…"

* * *

          Gohan and Videl sat in their respective seats on either side of Erasa, who was smirking at Videl. It kind of creeped her out. "What's up, Erasa?"

          Erasa's smirk never faltered. "You know what's up." She leaned in close, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I saw you and Gohan walk in together. You're finally warming up to him!"

          Videl rolled her eyes. "I guess. I still feel like something's off about him though."

          "You're just being paranoid!"

          The pigtailed girl glanced at the subject of their conversation, who was sketching something in that notebook of his. He caught her gaze and gave her a small wave, making her smile in response. She caught herself and forced her expression back into a neutral one. _Dork._

          Erasa nudged Videl's shoulder. "You two are getting along better than I thought!" She chuckled lightheartedly. "I better watch out or Gohan'll replace me as your best friend!"

          "It's not like that, we barely know each other!" Videl looked to Gohan to validate her claim, but he had already checked back out of the conversation. She grunted in exaggerated frustration. The bell rang, and the school day began.

* * *

          Gohan was worried once again. Videl had gone right back to her troubled distractedness after her conversation with Erasa that morning. Something was on her mind, and it was affecting her more than she was letting on.

          It was lunchtime and Videl was still brooding. After sitting through half the lunch period without a peep from the girl, he decided it was time to intervene while Erasa and Sharpener were in a heated debate about something or other.

          "Hey, Videl?"

          The uncharacteristically quiet girl looked up to the source of the voice, slightly surprised. "What is it?" She winced slightly at her unintentionally cold tone.

          Gohan pressed on despite unpopular demand. "Is something bothering you? You seem a little out of it."

          "I'm fine, Gohan."

          The boy backed off hesitantly. "Okay, but if you need to talk, I'm here for you." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'm not great at advice, but I like to believe I'm a pretty good listener. So, y'know…"

          Videl felt her very soul warm up then. She couldn't hold back the genuine smile that spread across her face. "Thank you, Gohan…" She rubbed her arm. "For earlier, too. Thanks."

          "It's really no problem, I'm glad to help!" He giggled and shot her a thumbs-up. Videl responded with her own light chuckle.

* * *

          Lunch had ended, and the students were funneling back into the classroom. Sharpener was the last of the group of friends to arrive, having stayed behind to talk to some wrestling club buddies. He sat down and started fixing his hair in an aggressively masculine compact.

          "Sharpener!" The bubblier of the blondes turned to the more muscular one. "Perfect timing, I just had an idea!"

          Sharpener looked up from his little 'man mirror'. "What kind of idea?"

          "Why don't we all hang out together this weekend, all _four_ of us!" Erasa gestured to Gohan giddily.

          "What, is Brains part of our friend group now?" Sharpener snickered mockingly. He had no idea why he felt inclined to act like he disliked the concept of being friends with the new kid, but it just felt right. He looked to Videl for validation.

          The teenage crime-fighter just shrugged in response. "Maybe. I guess we'll really find out if he'll be a good fit this weekend, huh?"

          Erasa let out a soft squeal of joy. "Looks like Videl's in!"

          Sharpener considered protesting, but realized he was outnumbered. "Fine, I'll do this little hangout thing," he crossed his arms, "but only just this once. Got it?"

          Erasa nodded her head enthusiastically. "It's settled then! We're meeting up at the mall on Saturday!"

          Videl cleared her throat. "Erasa."

          "Yeah, Videl?"

          "Aren't you forgetting to ask someone?"

          She thought for a moment. "Oh, Gohan!"

          The half-Saiyan's eyes snapped to the teen who'd said his name. "You need something?"

          "Actually, I was wondering if you'd want to meet up with the three of us at the mall on Saturday!"

          Gohan blinked. "Alright, what are we meeting up for?"

          "We're hanging out, silly!" She giggled. "Y'know, like friends do!"

          In an instant, Gohan went from curious to incredibly exuberated. He couldn't keep himself from bouncing in his seat. "O-of course I'll be there! I've never 'hung out' with friends before! Oh, this'll be amazing!" He pulled Erasa into a bear hug (well, a bear hug by Erasa's standards). "Thank you so much!"

          Erasa, being a very huggy person herself, threw her own arms around the boy enthusiastically. "It's nothing, Gohan! You're part of the crew now!"

          Sharpener just shook his head. Videl couldn't help but think about how awkward it'd be now if they decided to kick Gohan out of the group after this.

* * *

**suggestions are welcome**


	8. Chapter 8

          Videl tapped her foot impatiently as the Chief briefed her on the current situation. She'd been called out of class yet again, this time to deal with the kidnapping of some important businessman she'd never heard of. _It's always something, huh? Never a day of peace._

          "...And they're demanding 300 million zenni!" The old chief shook his head and took a long drag from the cigar he'd been holding. Videl took note of the slight chew marks near the edge of it. "We'd really rather not be forced to negotiates with these, uh, a-holes.

          Videl waved the cigar smoke out of her general vicinity and slid her foot idly along the asphalt underneath her, which was still wet from an earlier rainstorm. "I'm not a kid, Chief, you don't have to censor yourself." She was a little salty about having been pulled out of a particularly competitive game of soccer with Sharpener (well, against the other team, but her only real competition was her proud jock of a friend), and kidnappings were never her favorite crime to stop. Anything involving the endangerment of citizens really rubbed her the wrong way.

          The chief coughed awkwardly. "Right. Well, anyway, we need you to sneak into this warehouse and rescue the hostage if possible. If you can't," he sighed, "I guess we'll just have to pay the ransom."

          "Not necessary." Videl turned to the formerly-abandoned warehouse, taking in each patch of rust and cracked window. "I'll get our guy. You can count on that."

* * *

          Finding the back entrance was easy; the miscreant guarding it was a dead giveaway. Taking out said miscreant was something Videl could practically do in her sleep, so that was taken care of pretty quickly. What was a bit more difficult, however, was trying to use the corroded old thing without a loud squeak immediately alerting everyone in the damn building. Videl groaned and pulled a small bottle of door-hinge lubricant from her pocket, thankful she'd had the presence of mind to ask for it once she'd seen the condition of the building she was to infiltrate. She hastily unscrewed the cap and got to work greasing those pesky hinges.

          After a few agonizing minutes of maintenancing the enemy's base, the pigtailed crime-fighter felt confident enough to use the door for its intended purpose. She crouched down low, careful not to lose her balance and get her favorite shorts covered in mud, and turned the handle slowly, ever so slowly. She cracked the door open, infinitely relieved her greasing efforts worked to silence it, and peeked inside to see that…

          ...The criminals were already taken care of.

 _What the hell?! Why are all the kidnappers on the floor?! Where's the hostage?! And who is…_ She froze.

          The brightly-colored superhero turned his helmeted-head to face the back entryway. "Oh, hello there, miss Videl! No need to worry, everything here has been taken care of!"

          The girl sent a bone-chilling glower Saiyaman's way, her eye twitching violently. The hero paled. "M-miss Videl? Is...is everything okay?"

          'Miss' Videl was screaming internally. Her responsibility, her one true purpose, the thing she had built her _entire life and identity_ around, had just been challenged. " _Okay?!_ Is everything _'okay'?!_ " She kicked a piece of scrap metal directly at Saiyaman, striking him right in the helmet. His lack of reaction just served to piss her off more. "Listen here, Saiya- _whatever_ , this is _my_ job, not yours! The police called _me_ in for this, not _you!_ " She stomped her way over to him, each step echoing throughout the expansive building like a cave. The _masked ass_ backed up slowly and waved his hands in front of him in a placating manner.

          "N-now, miss Vi-" He tripped on a rusty muffler that was just lying on the ground for some odd reason and fell backwards, the resulting thud amplifying with each echo and hurting his poor Saiyan ears. "Miss Videl, I was only trying to help!"

          The furious fighter bent forward specifically to yell in the gourd-colored fashion nightmare's face. "You call stealing my mission right out from under me _helping?!_ " She glared deep into his visor, and he feared she might be able to see his eyes through it. The damp floor underneath him slowly soaking his saiyabutt wasn't helping the situation.

          "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you already had it covered! I swear I'm not trying to steal your job or anything!" He scooted backwards and scrambled to his feet, wiping the guck from the bottom of his costu- _outfit_. "It won't happen again, I promise!"

          "I know it won't, because you're gonna give up this stupid 'superhero' thing and get the hell out of _my_ city, understood?!" She closed in on him again and flicked his visor.

          The hero was absolutely bewildered. Videl was _pissed_ , and he wasn't entirely sure why. _I mean, it was an accident! How could she possibly be this livid?!_ He stood there in stunned silence for a brief moment before deciding this atmosphere was probably disastrous for his health. Unable to think of a response to Videl's previous command, he turned around and just kinda flew away. Neither party left that encounter in high spirits.

* * *

          It was an incredibly uncomfortable Thursday morning; at least for a certain demi-saiyan. Videl had spent the entirety of first period ranting about just how much she _loathed_ Saiyaman, and it didn't exactly make him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He wasn't sure if he should agree with her to help protect his identity or try to get her to stop hating his alter-ego, so he decided to leave the reactions to his two blond buddies.

          To his dismay, said blond buddies were split. Sharpener was jumping right on the 'let's badmouth Saiyaman' train, whereas Erasa was defending him ( _God bless her_ ). He hadn't known these people for long, but he did know what this sort of disagreement would mean…

          "Well, _Gohan_ agrees with me!" Erasa huffed and turned to the boy in question, who was nervously twirling a pencil. "Right, Gohan?" _Here it is._

          Videl cut in before he had a chance to respond. "I doubt it. I'm sure someone as smart as him can see that this city doesn't need some idiot vigilante ruining things."

          Gohan gulped. This was _bad_. He had to decide his next course of action. It was now or never. He placed his pencil down carefully and folded his hands together on his desk. "W-well, I think-" The bell rang. Gohan took the opportunity to loudly plop his science book onto his desk. "I think it's time to pay attention and learn some science! Hahaha ha ha. Ha. Ha…." _There is no way this is gonna work._

          Sharpener shook his head and chuckled a surprisingly good-natured chuckle. "That's Brains for ya!" And just like that, the subject was dropped.

* * *

          Videl was chewing her eraser; a bad habit she'd developed during middle school that she just couldn't shake. _Damnit! I was so angry yesterday I forgot to interrogate Saiyaman! What am I gonna do if I don't see him again?!_ She glared at her near-pristine English textbook. Her dad made sure all public utilities in the city got ample funding, and the school system was no exception. _Not that i_ want _to see him again. No, I just want answers!_

          The thing that was bothering her most (at the moment, at least) was Saiyaman's fangs. Now, there were plenty of anthropomorphs in the world, and having fangs wasn't too uncommon. No, what was weird was the fact that Saiyaman seemed to be a _human_ with fangs, which was completely unheard of. Animal people and humans formed relationships all the time, sure, but they weren't genetically similar enough to actually have kids together. Hybrids just weren't a thing, which is why Saiyaman's fangs - and The Golden Fighter's whole monkey-business - was so completely baffling to her. By all means, they seem like genetic impossibilities.

 _Saiyaman's fangs could be fake, but what about Goldie's tail and fur? It seemed too real…_. She slapped her forehead silently. _Gah, I'm having that same train of thought again! Why do I always get stuck in this rut?!_ She decided it was high-time to check back in on Earth and see what was going on around her.

          To her right, Sharpener seemed to be googling something. Videl leaned in a bit and saw that he was looking up things to do in and around Satan City Mall. She smiled at that. Despite being kind of a self-absorbed jerk on the outside, Sharpener was actually very invested in his friendships, something Videl had learned over the many years of knowing him. He'd deny it if you asked, but he really loved his friends.

          After a few minutes of reflecting on Sharpener's nature, Videl turned to check out what was happening to her left. Erasa was scrambling to jot down each and every word the teacher uttered. Erasa wasn't exactly a model student, and she _definitely_ couldn't be considered a nerd, but claiming she didn't care about her education would be flagrantly incorrect. She wasn't a straight-A student, but she tried her best, and Videl respected her for that.

 _Now, let's see what Gohan's up to…_. Videl looked farther to her left and fixed her eyes on Gohan and his activities. She was quite surprised to see that, instead of diligently taking notes like she'd expected, he was doodling in that forest-green notebook she'd seen him sketch in a few times before. _I thought he was really into his studies? What's with the doodling?_ She craned her neck to try and get a glimpse of whatever it was that he was drawing, but it just wasn't working, making her grunt a bit in mild annoyance.

          This caught Gohan's attention. He very gently placed his pencil on his desk and leaned back to talk to Videl without Erasa obstructing his line of sight. "Need something, Videl?" he asked softly.

          "No, I-" She paused. Now that she thought about it, she kinda did need to know what she'd been missing in class. "Actually, do you know what's been going on in class? Like, what the teacher's been going over?"

          Videl fully expected the boy not to know it himself, but it didn't hurt to ask. She was taken off-guard by his shockingly detailed response. "Oh, she's just going over the different iterations of _MacBeth_ and how the evolving nature of language can lead to different interpretations of the same texts or something like that." He waved his hand dismissively. "It's real interesting the first time you hear it, but my mom drilled this kinda stuff into me years ago. Now I can see why I aced all those entrance exams. It's not because I'm smarter than anyone here, it's because I've just already learned all this stuff."

          The bell for lunch rang, allowing the two to have a louder conversation. Free from academia, Erasa decided to add her own two cents. "Wow, Gohan, your mom must be obsessed with school stuff, huh?"

          Gohan laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. I didn't think it was weird at the time, but she had me learning calculus before I hit double-digits!"

          Videl, Erasa, and even Sharpener were now gaping at him as they stood to leave the classroom. The buffer of the blonds spoke up. "Dude, no way! No wonder you're a nerd now!" Erasa elbowed him lightly at that comment.

          The raven-haired girl led the way out of the room. "Jeez, Gohan, why are you even attending public high school in the first place?"

          He shrugged his light-brown satchel higher up his shoulder, blushing lightly. "Actually, I kinda wanted to come here to, uh, make friends. Living out in the mountains, I've never really had any friends my age, so, y'know…."

          Erasa clapped her hands together. "Aw, how sweet! Our little Gohan was all lonely living out in the wilderness all on his own and just wanted some human interaction! Oh, no wonder his social skills are so poor!"

          Gohan joke-scoffed. "My social skills aren't _that_ bad!" The looks his three new friends shot him said otherwise. He frowned and crossed his arms as the four of them neared their usual lunch-eating spot. "Besides, I have plenty of friends and family back home, just no-one _my age_."

          The four of them sat down under the shade of the large oak tree, careful to avoid the acorns scattered along the ground. Sharpener ran a hand through his long blond hair. "So exactly how old _are_ your friends, then?"

          Gohan thought for a moment. "I don't know, they're my dad's friends, so I guess around his age."

          Sharpener whistled. "Hanging out with nothing but adults all the time as a kid? That must've sucked."

          Gohan shook his head. "Nah, it was alright, but it was kinda lonely, y'know? They loved to reminisce and talk about adult stuff that i didn't really understand at the time. Honestly I felt kinda left out." He knit his brows, recalling the interactions he'd had with his father's friends outside of the battlefield.

          Erasa patted his back sympathetically. "I knew it, poor Gohan! What an awful childhood you must've had!" Gohan just smiled sadly at that comment.

          Videl felt a strange sense of relief wash over her. A lot of her apprehension toward Gohan stemmed from his dishonesty and unwillingness to open up, and that seemed to be changing. The more he lowered his defenses around her, the more affection she started feeling for him. She gave him a kind smile, causing him to grin back at her judging by the spark in his eyes that she was growing ever-so fond of. Yeah, this friendship was gonna work, she could feel it.

* * *

**feel free to offer suggestions for stuff u wanna see (actually pls do that each suggestion adds a year onto my life)**

**also this sounds kinda weird but like pls suggest different types of crime bc repeatedly googling "types of crimes that can be committed" isnt rlly bearing me much fruit and i need thos ideas lads**


	9. Chapter 9

          Gohan left school that day in exceedingly high spirits. Not only did his new friends seem to be getting closer to him, but he had a scheduled hangout with them in just two days! Although he was still a bit shaken by yesterday's encounter with Videl, the fact that she seemed to not hate him as Gohan offset his disappointment in her reaction to Saiyaman. All he could do in that regard was hope she'd come around…

          Gohan shoved his negative thoughts away. He wasn't going to let one little incident ruin his elation, not even one that was actually kind of big and hard to not think about considering one of his new friends hated his alter ego's guts and would probably never wanna talk to him again if she ever found out and _oh god what am I gonna do?!_

          "-IG BROTHE-" Gohan quirked his eyebrow. _Did I hear Goten just now?_ He halted and looked back. Sure enough, he had flown right by his home. He giggled a bit and flew back towards his house - slower this time. Goten all but tackled him the moment he landed.

          "Big brother!" The young boy was squeezing the life out of his beloved sibling zealously. "I thought up some awesome new moves for Saiyaman! C'mon, I'll show ya!" Goten proceeded to perform his new array of award-winning poses, displaying what he felt was an outstanding display of both stamina and creativity.

          Gohan laughed and rose from the ground where he had been previously pinned, brushing a few stray blades of grass off his clothes. He ruffled the kid's hair. "Pretty amazing, Goten!" He groaned internally, "I can't wait to show them to the public!"

* * *

          Gohan was gleefully chowing down on his dinner, stopping only for the odd breath here and there. Goten tried his best to keep up with his brother's voracity, but couldn't quite match his indescribable speed.

          The elder of the two boys was ecstatic, thinking up a million different ways to have fun with his friends on Saturday. He was only snapped out of his daydreaming by the emptiness of his plate. He looked up at the void a mountain of food once filled and shrugged.

          "Well, Gohan, you sure are happy today!" Chi-Chi got to work gathering up the dozens of dirty dishes from the table. "Something good happen?"

          The older Son boy helped his mother clean up. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask!" He turned the kitchen sink on and began washing the copious amounts of dishes, with his mother joining him soon after. "My new friends invited me to hang out with them at Satan City Mall on Saturday!"

          The plate Chi-Chi had been holding suddenly slipped from her grasp, narrowly avoiding an early demise thanks to Gohan's quick reflexes. She was a statue; doing nothing but blankly staring at her son.

          Gohan placed the plate back in its place and poked her shoulder warily. "M...Mom?"

          His poke was met with a _very_ constricting bearhug from his mother, who one could easily forget was considerably stronger than the average human. She practically sobbed into Gohan's shoulder.

          "Oh, my boy's made friends his age, and they want to go out of their way to spend time with him!" She ignored his strained gasps for air. Turning a very concerning shade of cobalt, Gohan's instincts made the executive decision to gently push his mother off of him. Thankfully, She didn't seem to notice.

          Gohan wheezed in desperation to return his skin to its usual shade while his mother stared off into the distance absently. He waited for his breathing to even out before speaking. "So...does that mean I can go?"

          Chi-Chi's head snapped toward him, her gaze fierce. Gohan fought back a surprised squeak "Of _course_ you can go!" She immediately went back to her fantasizing. "I can't believe my little Gohan is the most popular boy in school!"

          Gohan just laughed nervously, thankful to get his mother's approval.

* * *

          Erasa slammed her books down on her desk, causing Gohan to jump a bit in his seat. She had been the last of their group to arrive to class that Friday morning, and she was making sure her friend noticed her entrance. "Alright, time to hammer out the details!"

          Videl tilted her head. "What details?"

          Sharpener was grumbling in the background. "It's too early for big loud bangs."

          The more fashionable of the two blonds ignored the musclehead and instead addressed Videl. "We're hanging out tomorrow, remember?" She brushed a strand of her flaxen hair to the side. "We need to know where and when we're meeting up."

          Gohan knitted his brows and idly rubbed a page of his notebook between his thumb and middle and index fingers. "I thought we were meeting at the mall?"

          "Well, duh, but we need to know where at the mall we're meeting."

          "Aren't we meeting at the entrance?"

          Erasa slapped her forehead in exaggerated exasperation. "Gohan, malls have _multiple_ entrances!"

          Gohan unhanded his notebook page and dedicated his entire concentration to this new revelation. "They...they do?!" He felt a few conversations he'd had with Bulma finally making sense to him.

          Sharpener rested his head on his right hand. "Didn't they teach you anything in the mountains besides school stuff?"

          "I don't think it ever crossed my mom's mind to sit me down and teach me about the architecture of shopping outlets." Gohan frowned behind his surgical mask. "But now that I think about it, such a large and populous building only having one exit would be a _huge_ fire hazard."

          Videl nodded sagely. "Exactly."

          Erasa lightly but purposefully slammed a hand down on her stack of books. "Guys, focus! We need to figure this all out before tomorrow!"

          Before she could open her mouth again, the bell to start the day sounded, meaning their conversation would have to wait. "We'll finalize our plans at lunch, okay?" And with that, school began.

* * *

**this chapter was gonna be longer but i decided to save the rest for next chapter (theyre finally gonna do that hangout thing woohoo)**

**feel free to suggest stuff i dont rlly plan this stuff out ahead of time so who knows u could change the whole course of the story**

 


	10. Chapter 10

          Videl plopped herself down at the table groggily, rubbing her eyes. She'd never understand why her dad insisted on having breakfast so early on the weekends. She glanced at the ridiculously bougie clock on the wall. 8 AM - a full two hours earlier than she would prefer to wake up. She grunted and began sloppily slicing up her pancakes.

          "Mornin', Sweet Pea." Hercule, Videl's father and Earth's self-proclaimed savior, took a sip of his coffee. "Got anything exciting planned today?"

          Videl finished a bite of pancake and yawned before answering. "Yeah, I'm going out to the mall with my friends today at noon."

          "Which friends?"

          The teen waved her hand dismissively. "It's just Erasa, Sharpener, and the new kid."

          Hercule set down his mug and narrowed his eyes slightly. "What new kid?"

          "Oh, he's a kid who transferred in on Monday. His name is Gohan."

          "Gohan, huh?" The burly man scratched his chin. "Sounds familiar. Where's he from?"

          "The mountains, apparently." At this point, Videl was fully digging into her food, and her dad took her eagerness to stuff her face as a sign that she was done with the conversation.

          "Alright, just don't bring him here or hang out with him alone without introducing him to me first. I wanna make sure he's fit to be the friend of the great Videl Satan."

          Videl rolled her eyes in response.

* * *

          Gohan, who had absolutely no idea what the etiquette for a friendly get-together was, was freaking out. He hadn't realized until his final bite of breakfast that his normal attire might not suit the situation. What if he was supposed to dress all fancy-like? What if this was a full suit-and-tie situation? How ridiculous would he look showing up to a three-piece occasion wearing a t-shirt? He raced to his room to figure this all out.

          He'd been halfway through putting on one of his oh-so-fancy I'm-technically-a-prince outfits when he realized that the opposite of his fear may also be true. Showing up to a casual event wearing a tuxedo or (god forbid) a longpao would probably be at least about 10 times as embarrassing as the reverse. Gohan shuddered at the thought and slowly undressed himself, realizing he was gonna have to settle for something in-between. He opted to change into his not-quite-casual-but-not-super-fancy traditional silk jacket and pants.

          He checked the time and gasped lightly. 11:30 AM. He figured it'd take about half an hour to fly to Satan City at a reasonable speed, find the mall and its correct entrance, and change out of his Saiyaman gear, meaning he'd have to leave ASAP. He walked to the front door and began saying his goodbyes before being interrupted by his mother.

          "Gohan, are you really going out like that?" She cast him a disapproving gaze.

          Gohan paled. _Uh oh, this outfit really isn't going to work! What am I gonna do? At this rate, I'll be late!_ "W-whats wrong with what I'm wearing?"

          Chi-Chi shook her head. "It's not your outfit that's the problem - it's your hair!"

          "My...hair?" Gohan furrowed his brows, calming down at the realization that he wasn't gonna have to change clothes again. "What's wrong with my hair, then?"

          "It's sticking up all over the place!"

          "But I go to school like this everyday?"

          "Yeah, well, this isn't school!" The mother stepped menacingly toward her son and stuck her hands in his hair, trying to smooth it down.

          "Ah! Mom! I can fix it myself!" He tried to dodge away from her to no avail. He had no choice but to stand in horror as his signature spikes were replaced by a flatter but significantly more disheveled mess.

          "Oh, alright." Chi-Chi reluctantly stepped away from her eldest son. "Just be sure to hurry, you wouldn't want to be late."

          Gohan shot her a signature Son smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder and assured her he'd be fine.

          With that, the boy walked to the bathroom mirror and tried to make his hair a bit more presentable. Unfortunately, however, his stubborn brushing did little to actually coax his locks into obedience. He sighed and resigned himself to looking how a full-blooded human would just after rolling out of bed.

          After studying his visage properly, he decided he looked decent enough to head out (...but just barely). He said his goodbyes a second time and switched into his Saiyaman outfit, blasting off into the sky.

Today was gonna be great, regardless of stubborn hair.

* * *

          Erasa was the first one to arrive at the mall entrance they'd decided on (the northern one) at 11:45, with Sharpener coming in second just five minutes later. Figuring they'd have a little until Videl and Gohan got there, Erasa decided on exactly what kind of conversation she wanted to have before they arrived.

          "So, what do you think?"

          Sharpener gave her a puzzled look. "What do I think about…?"

          "About Gohan, silly!" Erasa crossed her arms. "Y'know, the whole point of this hangout thing!"

          "So you're not here to spend time with me, then?" The more buff of the blonds gasped in mock-indignation. "And here I thought we were friends!"

          The shorter of the pair rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Sharpener, do you think Gohan is friend material or not?"

          Sharpener ceased his tomfoolery briefly to ponder this question. He looked out into the usual crowd entering and exiting the mall freely before his gaze paused on a group of young teens lounging on a bench under the shade of the large roof that covered the area immediately outside of the mall's doors. He glanced at the empty bench a few yards away from Erasa and himself and decided to saunter over to it and take a seat, Erasa following close behind with an impatient frown on her face.

          Sharpener then took note of the weather. The sun's direct rays were hot, sure, but not as sweltering as they'd been the past few months, and there was a nice cool breeze blowing in. He figured the weather was finally cooling down, which was very much welcome in his book, as the intense mugginess of the warmer months meant for quick dehydration when exercising outdoors.

          "Ahem."

          Erasa's throat-clearing brought the brawny boy back to her earlier question. "Oh, right. Gohan." He rested his head in his hand absently. "He's cool I guess. Kinda nerdy, but he doesn't seem bad to hang out with. Actually, now that I think about it, he's pretty good at taking hits, huh?"

          "Sharpener!" Erasa slapped his shoulder. "First you hit him in the head with a baseball, and now you're bragging about it?!"

          Sharpener rubbed his arm and shook his head fervently. "No, no! What I meant was he might be a good fit for the boxing club!"

          "Who might be a good fit for the boxing club?"

          The two blonds jumped a bit and looked up to see their pigtailed friend standing a few feet away from them.

          "Videl!" Erasa immediately rose from her seat and hugged her crime-fighting friend, completely disregarding her question.

          Sharpener shook his head at the display. "I was talking about Gohan. I don't know how good he'd be at offense, but he's got one strong head."

          Videl freed herself from the bubbly blonde's grasp and quirked an eyebrow at the not-bubbly blond boy. "Didn't you say he was a wimp or something?"

          "I don't remember saying that!" He sighed. "Even if I did, that doesn't change the fact that I don't think that now. He's a nerd, sure, but he doesn't seem like a wimp to me."

          "What are you basing this off of, the baseball incident?" Videl tapped her foot absently and studied Sharpener's expression. "I thought you wrote that off as a fluke?" She'd been sure that she was the only one perceptive enough to realize something was weird about Gohan, but now it was looking like she wasn't alone. "Are you suggesting there's more to Gohan than meets the eye?"

          "Videl, I see what you're doing!" Erasa pouted at the raven-haired teen. "I thought I told you to drop that stuff! Gohan is a completely normal boy! He's just not used to society is all."

          "I know, but still! There's just something about hi-"

          "BEEP. BEEP. BEEP."

          The honorary police officer sighed heavily as she clicked the 'answer' button on her communicator watch. _Just my luck to be called in right when I get here. Ugh._ "What's the situation, Chief?"

          "Videl, it's terrible! The old Douglas Company office building's an inferno, and half of the workers are still inside!"

_A fire? They're calling me in to deal with a_ fire _?! What do they expect me to do, apprehend it?!_ She sighed heavily. "Got it, Chief. I'll be right there."

          "Leaving already, huh?" Erasa pouted. She wanted to kick a pebble to better convey her frustration, but there were none located near her feet, and she wasn't about to walk away from the conversation just to kick a rock, so she instead just kinda kicked the air. "This sucks, we were gonna have so much fun!"

          Sharpener didn't say anything, but his face clearly portrayed a look of similar disappointment. Videl shook her head at her friends' reactions. "Don't worry, we can pick up where we left off in a bit. This shouldn't take more than an hour, max. I'll call you if there's any change in plans, okay?"

          The blonds seemed less put-off, but only slightly. The rock-kicking contemplater relented and gave her crime-fighting friend a parting hug. "Alright, just be safe, okay? We don't want you coming back all crispy."

          "Erasa, I'll be fine. I can handle almost anything, remember? Anyways, I really need to get going. Y'know, 'emergency' and all." And with that, she was off.

          Not five minutes later did Gohan show up to the blonds' bench, surgical mask and all. He sighed in relief as he noticed the casual clothing of his two friends. _Awesome, I'm not underdressed._ He strode merrily towards his pals, blissfully unaware of their odd looks until after he'd began greeting them.

          "Hey, guys, how's it goi-" He paused as he tried to read their expressions. "What? Am I dressed wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was supposed to wear and I thought that this would probably be my safest bet but now I'm seeing that both of you are wearing tank tops and I'm wondering if I was supposed to wear one too and-

          "Dude, you're rambling." Sharpener's surprised expression was exchanged for a more amused one.

          "Gohan, you're hair is down!" Erasa got up from the seat she had taken on the bench and approached him, studying his head closer.

          "Does...does it look bad?" He played idly with a lock of hair that hung over his forehead. "My mom made me put it down…."

          Erasa giggled at that. "No, it's cute!" She ruffled his hair for emphasis completely unsolicited.

          Gohan, having done this to his brother countless times, was relatively relaxed about the contact. He was not, however, relaxed about the compliment. "Heh heh, thanks…?"

          Sharpener took this as his cue to stand up, walk over to them, and ruffle Gohan's hair himself. "Wow, brains, how can your hair possibly be this messy?"

          "B-because it's supposed to be all spiked-up and stuff!" He calmed down a bit after the compliment had been forgotten. "Actually, I haven't worn it down like this in years."

          Erasa clapped her hands together. "Alright, now that we're all here, it's time to head inside!"

Gohan furrowed his brows and looked around, thoroughly confused. "Where's Videl?"

          "She went to go rescue some people caught in a fire. She said she'd probably meet up with us within an hour or so." Sharpener ran a hand through his own hair, as if comparing the texture to Gohan's.

          "She WHAT?!" The half-saiyan jogged in place anxiously. "Sorry guys, but uh, something's come up!" He turned on his heel and took off toward the alleyway he'd just de-Saiyamaned in. He called out over his shoulder, "I'll be back soon!" The two teens left behind called out to him, but he was already gone.

* * *

**its been like a month since ive last updated...writers block is fun**

**anywho i was gonna make this one longer but i figured thatd probably take a little bit and i didnt wanna make u guys wait for an update any longer so here ya go**

**as always suggestions are v much encouraged bc i have approximately 3 distinct thoughts per day and only abt .2 of them are creative**


	11. Chapter 11

Videl was in the passenger seat of a helicopter, hovering over the burning building she was called in to take care of. By the time she’d gotten there, most the floors had already gone up in flames, forcing the workers to flee to the roof. She had planned on just swooping down and rescuing them all, but according to the helicopter’s pilot, there were…complications.

 

“The fire’s causing a massive updraft, we can’t get any closer!”

 

“What do you mean we can’t get any closer, we  _ have _ to!” Videl spat back at the pilot, too stressed about the situation to act politely. The pilot just shook his head in response, leaving the teenage crime-fighter to rack her brain for other solutions. That’s when she saw the water tank. A perfectly perfect water tank, conveniently right there on the roof. She quickly informed the pilot of her new plan to rid the roof of flames and parted with no more than a ‘wish me luck’, despite the pilot’s protests.

 

She jumped from the copter and landed on the roof a few meters below her with ease. It was when it came time to actually release the water from the tank that problems began to emerge.

 

Her first instinct after approaching the tank was to grab the valve to turn it —an instinct that she unfortunately obeyed. She hissed and flinched away upon touching the scorching valve. However, after shaking her hands lightly for a moment, put them back on said valve, fighting through the pain to try and turn it.

 

The second problem that arose was turning the valve itself, Videl didn’t know if the heat had welded the valve to its axle, or if it was always this hard to turn, but being unable to actually release the damn water was really throwing a wrench in her plan. Her annoyance overtook her thoughts for the first few seconds of struggle, but it was soon replaced with a growing panic. Her stomach sank as she considered that she might not be  _ able _ to turn the valve—that she might’ve just doomed herself by banking on this hunch she had.

 

_ Wait. _ She thought she felt the valve start to loosen, if only slightly. With newfound hope, she threw her bodyweight into each pull, tuning out the explosions she heard all around her. Videl was certain she could pull this off. Nothing could stop her now. Not even--

 

_ Boom. _ Another explosion, this one too impossibly close to ignore. She jumped slightly and looked up to find the tank falling toward her: the tank that was filled with hundreds of gallons of water. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. This was it. She covered her head and braced for the impact, knowing full well there was no chance of surviving it.

 

This was the end.

 

_ Thunk _

 

“Jeez, Videl, that was close!” The loud noise and sudden exclamation brought her fearful and confused gaze up to some weirdo in a bright green costume holding up the very tank that had been set to collide with her head.  _ Saiyaman… _

 

The helmeted hero gulped under the perceived scrutiny of her wide-eyed stare. “I mean, um,  _ Miss _ Videl.” He cleared his throat and muttered a soft apology under his breath. After another moment of being silently stared at, he promptly sat the tank back upright and punched his fist right through it, letting all the previously contained water gush out like a fountain, grunting slightly as he did so. The released water immediately got to work dousing the surrounding flames.

 

The no-longer-trapped workers cheered as a few helicopters descended to save them, all stopping to thank Saiyaman before they left. The hero had a goofy grin plastered on his face as he assured everyone that it was simply all in a day’s work. His grin faltered slightly, though, upon remembering who else was on that roof with him. He turned to look at Videl, trying his best not to look like a child being scolded.

 

Videl knew that she should take this opportunity to interrogate the masked vigilante. This was exactly the opportunity she had wanted, after all. She stood back up on shaky legs, not having realized she had fallen to her knees in the first place, and shook the soot from her legs. She opened her mouth to finally grill the guy that’d been pissing her off ever since she first met him, and…

 

Nothing came out. She shook her head and tried again, opening her mouth for a second time, but again, she was at a loss. She sighed.

 

“Miss Videl, I--”

 

“Thank you,” she finally managed to choke out, “...for everything.”

 

And with that, she took her leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been almost exactly a year since the last chapter. pretty wild, huh? ive learned how to play 2 different instruments since i last updated. whoops.
> 
> also i know this is pretty short but so are all the other ones so shrug emoji
> 
> as always suggestions are much appreciated


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